At CloudForce HR, we often hear from small, start-up businesses that come to us with specific human resource management questions. We’re always happy to answer any questions we can, but what’s really interesting is how much we learn in interacting with entrepreneurs. In this week’s blog post, we share what we’ve learned about human resources and entrepreneurship here in Southeast Asia.

What we’ve learned:

We love seeing new businesses blossom!

Most small businesses begin with one or two employees, and human resources, or HR, is not their top priority. Unlike many other places in the world right now, Asia’s economy is booming – opportunities abound and there is great demand for high quality goods and services.
Entrepreneurs are doing what they do well – getting their great ideas off the ground, letting people know about what they’ve got to offer, and creating a strong and profitable business. They’re realizing great success thanks not only to their ingenuity, hard work and dedication, but also because now is a fantastic time to start a business in SEA – opportunities abound.

Growing Pains:

The ‘down-side’ of the amazing boom and the personal achievements entrepreneurs are experiencing is that they’re finding it hard to keep up with the rapidly changing regulations and laws that cover taxation and other HR functions, because they are focused on what they do best – growing their business.
Another issue that inevitably arises is how to best carry out HR administrative functions as the team grows. As companies add employees, making sure that they are all properly trained, compensated, and that HRM functions are carried out becomes increasingly complex.
It’s not uncommon for us to have lengthy discussions about when it’s the best time to bring in more HRM expertise. This leads us to another thing we’ve learned: there’s no single ‘correct’ answer to this question. It depends on myriad relevant factors; like how an organization plans to grow, where it’s incorporated, and what strategies they’re using to recruit and retain talent.

Freeing you to do what you do best

Entrepreneurs tell us again and again that in a perfect world; they would give 100% of their time and attention to doing what they do best, and would not have to worry about things like payroll, paperwork and the other necessary administrative processes. They want to be free to do what they are passionate about.
At Cloudforce HR, we’d love to hear about your business, how you are growing it and your plans for taking it to the next level. We’re always here to listen, and enjoy hearing about your unique business strategies.
We’re here to help guide you through the entrepreneurial growing pains and can offer valuable advice as you plan for success.
We love seeing new businesses blossom!